JPH02500396A - battery - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] battery The present invention relates to batteries, and more particularly to composite batteries having a plurality of interconnected cells. Regarding battery.

From a single battery, use as many phases as needed to provide the required energy storage capacity. Many forms of batteries are known, ranging from structures with interconnected cells. .

Batteries can also be divided into two main types: relatively short-lived and A primary battery that is discarded when it has been used up, often as a single battery, and that is Comparison of primary batteries used in geo and toys and rechargeable when consumed A secondary battery with a long lifespan that can be used to start cars and forklift trucks. To provide electrical power, power for electric vehicles, emergency power for buildings and telephone switching equipment. This is a secondary battery used for.

Primary and secondary alkaline batteries as well as lead-acid secondary batteries Both are known.

Recently, sodium-sulfur type secondary batteries have become known, and Batteries like this are lightweight, have a large storage capacity, and require relatively short recharging times. has advantages. Moreover, all such batteries are made from cheap and plentiful materials. Sodium and sulfur are used.

A conventional lead-acid battery in which a liquid electrolyte (dilute sulfuric acid) separates two solid electrodes. -Unlike in sodium-sulfur batteries, the solid electrolyte (β-alumina) Two liquid electrodes are separated: a liquid sulfur electrode and a sodium electrode.

Such a sodium sulfur cell is shown in FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 is a part FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the battery with the parts removed.

As shown in the figure, the battery consists of a straight plate containing a β-alumina solid electrolyte cup (2). It has a cylindrical pressed steel case (1), and its cup (2) has a sodium electrode ( 3), and a sulfur electrode (4) is placed in the space between the case (1) and the cup (2). ) is included. When using, the battery is a sodium battery 8i! (3) and the sulfur electrode ( 4) is maintained at a temperature of approximately 350° C. so that it is in a liquid state.

The open end of the cup (2) is closed by an α-alumina insulating disc (5). The case (1) is closed by an annular disk (6).

The case (1) serves as the terminal for the sulfur electrode (4), and the long one for the sodium electrode (3). It contains a metal current collector (8), which is attached to the shaft of the case (1). It extends in the direction of It is connected to the core terminal disk (7). The necessary joining is done by welding There is.

The atomic structure of β-alumina is such that it acts as a selective ion filter. ing. When the battery is discharged, sodium ions are removed from the sodium electrode (3). It passes through the solute (2) and reacts with the sulfur electrode (4) to form sodium sulfide. child The chemical energy of the reaction is directly converted into electrical energy.

When the battery is charged, sodium and sulfur are regenerated from sodium sulfide and the input electricity Energy is converted into chemical energy.

To provide a battery that can power a vehicle, a battery such as the one described above is used. approximately 3,000 cells, an array of multiple rows of series-connected batteries, or each Arrays in each array are connected in parallel, and those parallel arrays are connected in series. It is necessary to combine them together as

In one aspect, the present invention provides a pair of conductive bus plates, Each serves to interconnect the corresponding terminals of a plurality of cells or batteries arranged in series. A battery with multiple batteries or multiple rows of batteries arranged in series arranged between busbar plates. Give Terry. Each terminal of each battery, or each terminal in each series, is connected to a conductor welded to the terminal. It is connected to the adjacent busbar plate by a conductive metal strip, with both ends of the strip connected to the busbar plate. It passes through the hole in the center and is welded to the opposite side of the bus bar plate from the terminal side.

In another aspect, the invention provides a method for combining a plurality of parallel batteries or a plurality of series arranged batteries in parallel. electrically insulating separators between adjacent batteries or batteries arranged in series. - having a separator in the form of a metal sheet covered with an electrically insulating coating give you a battery.

In yet another aspect, the present invention provides for a plurality of parallel batteries or a plurality of series arranged batteries. It has batteries in parallel, with electrically insulating separation between adjacent batteries or batteries arranged in series. in which each separator fits into each of the plurality of batteries or each series arrangement of batteries. a separator consisting of a long member having a concave surface with an opening around the periphery; give you a battery.

Furthermore, in another aspect, the present invention provides one or more busbars disposed between a pair of busbar plates. having a battery array or one or more arrays of series-arranged batteries, a busbar plate for each array; a cooling section thermally coupled to one of the cooling sections and one or more busbar plates. A battery is provided having a cooling section interposed by an intermediate electrically insulating layer.

Furthermore, as another R feature, the present invention helps maintain the battery at the required temperature. A battery that is enclosed in a thermally insulated enclosure, with the battery terminals touching the conductors. The conductors extend outside the enclosure, but the length of each conductor inside the enclosure is The thickness of the battery is greater than the thickness of the wall of the enclosure.

Various batteries according to the invention are described below by way of example with reference to the drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a perspective view with a portion of the sodium-sulfur battery removed; FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the series connection of the two batteries shown in FIG. Figure 3 shows a battery having multiple rows of serially arranged batteries arranged between a pair of busbar plates. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a method of fixing busbar plates together in the arrangement of FIG. 3; It is a diagram illustrating, FIG. 5 is a plan view of a battery having a separator between adjacent cells; Figure 6 shows a battery similar to that in Figure 5, but with a different separator. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a battery having FIG. 7 is a side view of the battery separator of FIG. 6; FIG. 8 is a view of the end of the separator of FIG. 7, and Figure 9 shows a diagram of a battery having two arrays of cells arranged in series in several rows. This is a perspective view.

Figure 2 is a side view of a two-cell battery, partially shown in section; - is a pair of batteries separated by an intervening isolation member, with the terminals of one battery of the two batteries extends through a hole in said isolation member to the terminal of the other battery. Consists of a pair of batteries connected by conductive members fixed to their terminals .

Using a battery as described above with reference to Figure 1, the conductive member is located at the center of one battery. Welded to the terminal disc and other battery cases, thereby connecting the batteries together in series can do.

The isolation member may be made of any suitable insulating material such as ceramic or porcelain material. may be preformed, e.g. in an annular shape, or e.g. between cells. may be formed in-situ by injecting a binder material into the material.

The isolation member shall not provide the necessary bond between the center terminal of one battery and the case of the other. However, it works to prevent contact between the two battery cases.

In particular, the battery in Figure 2 has two batteries (20) and (21), each battery having A cylindrical case (22) constituting one terminal and a case constituting the other terminal (22) has a central terminal disk (23) at one end. Batteries (20), (21) The center terminal disk (23) of the battery (20) below (as shown) is adjacent to the bottom surface (24) of the battery (21) on top of the other (as shown in the figure). Annular separators of insulating, ceramic or porcelain material arranged vertically A material (25) is interposed between them. The isolation member (25) has two batteries (2 It functions to prevent contact between the cases (22) of 0) and (21). conductive metal strip (26) extends across the bottom surface (24) of the upper battery (21) and the strip (26) 6 At the center, the ends of the strip are welded to the bottom of the hole (25) in the isolating member (25). 27) and extends downwardly over the current collector (28) of the lower battery (20). It is shaped to fit and is welded to the center terminal disc (23) of the battery (20) below. has been done. Therefore, the strip (26) is located inside the lower battery (20). ) and the case (22) of the upper battery (21), while providing the necessary connection between the The material (25) provides direct contact between the cases (22) of the two batteries (20>, (21)). prevent.

An annular separating member is interposed between each pair of adjacent batteries, and adjacent batteries are separated as described above. By connecting the required number of batteries with conductive strips welded together and arranging them in a dark blue pattern, the It is clear that a large battery can be provided.

In order to obtain a battery having the required storage capacity and voltage, for example, Multiple batteries or batteries arranged in series in multiple rows as described in connection with Figure 2. are connected in parallel, i.e. the ends of several cells or several rows arranged in series are connected together. For such batteries, please refer to Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings. This will be described next. Figure 3 is a side view, partially in section, of a part of the battery. Ru.

A battery consists of a pair of conductive bus plates, each with a corresponding one in series between them. A plurality of rows arranged between a pair of busbar plates that serve to interconnect terminals. It has batteries arranged in series. The end terminal of each series arrangement is a conductive metal welded to the terminal. It is connected to the adjacent bus board by a strip, with both ends of the strip extending through holes in the bus board. It is welded to the surface of the bus bar plate on the opposite side from the terminal side.

One T-wire board (bottom one in the diagram) connects the battery cases at one end of the arrangement to each other. It works to connect. If it is necessary to equalize the voltages, use the series arrangement Connect other compatible batteries to each other by conductive members arranged at the opening of their cases. Therefore, the battery can be connected in parallel with several batteries connected in series. Consists of items arranged in columns.

In particular, as shown in FIG. 3, a battery as described above in connection with FIGS. (30) are arranged in series, and adjacent batteries in each arrangement are separated by isolation members (31). Multiple rows of wires arranged in series separated by conductive metal strips (32) and connected by conductive metal strips (32) , are arranged in parallel between a pair of soft H1 plates (33).

Each bus plate (33) has holes (34) aligned with the central axis of the series arrangement of batteries (30). ) under each series arrangement (as shown). on the case (35) of the battery (30) and on each series arrangement (as shown). The central terminal disk (36) of the battery (30) is separated by conductive metal strips (37). The strip is electrically connected to the bus bar plate (33), and the center of the strip is connected to the case (33). 35) or welded to the terminal disk (36), with holes (34) lined up on both ends. It passes through and is welded to the surface of the bus bar plate (33) on the side opposite to the battery (30) side.

Therefore, although the batteries (30) are connected in series within each series arrangement, they The series arrangement of columns are connected in parallel by T-wire plates (33). Illustrated The case (35) of the corresponding battery (30) arranged in series is are interconnected by a conductive member (38) disposed between them; Therefore, voltage equalization is achieved at each cell level within the battery. .

As a modification of the batteries described above with reference to Figure 3, the lower battery in each series arrangement ( 30) can be connected to the adjacent busbar plate (33) by a conductive strip (37). Then, weld both ends of the strip to the case (35) of the battery (30) and insert it into the resulting loop. Allow the core portion to extend through the array of holes (34) in the busbar plate (33). . Then cut that loop section to give two free end sections, then tie those ends to Fold it back onto the surface of the bus plate (33) opposite to the battery (30) side and weld it there. Ru.

Batteries as described above have connections between adjacent cells and between rows of cells arranged in series. It has the advantage of low resistance.

In a battery like the one shown in Figure 3, the paired busbar plates consist of multiple connecting rods, e.g. For example, a connecting rod adjacent to each corner of the battery, each with a head at one end and a connecting rod at the other end. having threads or fastening together by connecting rods having threads at both ends Can be done. To maintain the same height alignment, the ends of the connecting rods are connected to the busbar in a conventional manner. Place the nuts into the recesses formed in the plate, fit the nuts into the threads of those rods, and tighten. 9. For example, attach an insulating washer of ceramic material to each connection. Attach it to at least one end of the rod to prevent the connecting rod from creating a short circuit between the bus plates. Ru.

Such a configuration is shown in Figure 4 of the appended drawings, where the bus plate (3 3) are each formed with a recess (40). Connection i (41) is a recess (40) It stretches between. The recess (40) in the lower plate (33) fits into the thread of the connecting rod (41). The recess in the upper plate (33) receives the fitted nut (42), and the head of the connecting rod (41) (44) receives the ceramic insulating washer (43) fitted therein. Natsuto ( 42) by tightening the plates (33) in series in several rows between them. Place the batteries around and they can be fastened together.

A battery as described above having a plurality of rows of serially arranged batteries clamped between a pair of busbar plates. In terry, the cases of batteries in adjacent series arrangement do not touch, thereby It shall be ensured that no undesirable short circuits occur; Place the rows in series as close to each other as possible to make the battery as small as possible. It is preferable.

Therefore, a battery consisting of multiple cells held between a pair of busbar plates is It is preferred to have an electrically insulating separator between the cells.

Preferably, the separator extends the entire distance between the busbar plates.

Batteries can be arranged in series as described above, but in that case the separators are Preferably, it extends over the length of the series arrangement between the busbar plates.

A separator is placed around the outer periphery of multiple batteries or multiple rows of batteries arranged in series. It is in the form of a corrugated sheet with multiple corrugations shaped to match. to maintain adjacent cells or series arrangement in a spaced array as required. be able to.

The separator is made of e.g. 1.6xw thick aluminum sheet, e.g. Made of sprayed ceramic material, alumina, chromium carbide or magnesia It may be coated with an electrically insulating coating. Otherwise, the sheet will , may be anodized or coated with a heat-resistant vitreous enamel.

The separator insulates adjacent cells from each other and separates the cells into a completed battery array. It not only functions to position the battery, but also conducts heat within the battery array and between the bus bars. and serves to maintain a substantially uniform temperature throughout the battery.

In FIG. 5 of the accompanying drawings, which is a top view of a battery having the separator described above, the battery is The busbar plate above the terry is shown partially removed.

As shown, multiple rows of series-arranged batteries (50) are connected to two busbar plates (51). ) and the end cells (50) in each series arrangement are shown in FIG. electrically connected to the adjacent bus bar plate (51) by the metal strip (52) as shown in FIG. has been done. A series arrangement of batteries is arranged in staggered rows and the waveform Insulating separators (53) are arranged between the rows, and the separators (53) The motor (53) serves to electrically insulate adjacent rows of batteries from each other and at the same time It also serves to maintain the batteries (50) in their normal position during the completed array. too If necessary or desirable, adjacent lines in the column defined by separators (53) The batteries (50) in contact can be isolated by an electrically insulating padding member (54). and the member may extend over the entire height of the series arrangement of cells, or may extend in pairs. One battery may be included in each adjacent battery (50).

Figure 6 of the accompanying drawings shows batteries with different shapes of separators. , each of the separators is a long member extending between the busbar plates (51) and having a circumference. It is made of a member formed with three concave surfaces (61) arranged at intervals on the sides. Ru. The concave surfaces fit into each battery (50) or each series arrangement of batteries. Figure 7 of the attached figures and FIG. 8 are an inverted and end view, respectively, of such a separator (60). Ru.

Such separators can be made of porcelain, such as cordierite, for example by extrusion. may be made of any material, may be of any length, and may be of any suitable number as required. things are used.

In the battery shown in Figure 6, all the spaces between the batteries (50) are separated by separators ( 60), but every other row of separators (60) have been removed. Make sure to leave some space, and place as many batteries (50) as needed in the remaining separators (60). It will be appreciated that this is sufficient for placing the

Additionally, as shown, the separator allows cooling fluid to pass through the battery. Each may have a hole extending longitudinally therethrough for access.

The completed battery consists of one or more wires arranged between a pair of busbar plates, as described above. It can be composed of a battery array or one or more arrays of batteries arranged in series.

Such a battery has a cooling section (h) thermally coupled to one of the busbar plates of each array. eat 5 ink), and its cooling section and one or more busbar plates. With an electrically insulating layer interposed between the arrays, heat from one or more arrays is conducted to its cooling section. and disappear as needed.

The cooling part may be made of aluminium, and the insulating layer is provided with a suitable coating on top. It may be shaped.

The cooling section is formed from two layers of aluminum, with an electric heating element sandwiched between them. , the heating element serves to heat the battery from a cold state to at least one beat. You may also choose to do so. Otherwise, the heating element can be placed in the gap in one cooling section. It may be placed in

Alternatively, the cooling section is a relatively thin aluminum sheet with a foil of pyrolytic graphite. It may be purified from. Such foils have highly anisotropic thermal conductivity, with the plane of the foil It has a high thermal conductivity within the foil and a low thermal conductivity across the plane of the foil.

The aluminum sheet is formed with multiple bolts and the bolts are inserted into each hole in the foil. may be placed in the foil to provide heat transfer between the sheet and the foil. . With such a cooler, heat from the battery is conducted to the edge of the cooler. Disappeared. One modification of such a cooling section is to cut pyrolytic graphite foil into strips. conductivity through the thickness of the cooling section and in only one direction in the plane of the cooling section. The heat to be dissipated is reconfigured to give a layer to one side of the cooling section. The signal may be conducted only to the end of the line and be lost.

FIG. 9 of the appended drawings shows a plurality of rows between each pair of busbar plates (91) as described above. A completed battery with two arrays of cells arranged in series is shown and its The busbar plate (91) below these arrays rests on a common aluminum cooling section (92). The electric heating element (93) is sandwiched in the cooling part, and the bus bar plate An electrically insulating layer (94) is present between (91) and the cooling section (92).

As shown in Figure 9, the busbar plate (91) above one array of batteries A plurality of rods (95) (only one is shown) is attached to the busbar plate (91) below the other array of ), which connects the two arrays in series. ing. The rod (95) may be made of aluminum but has stainless steel ends. has. Therefore, the ends of the rods (95) can be easily welded to the mild steel busbar plate. , welded interconnections are preferred to keep the battery's internal resistance as low as possible. stomach. Stainless steel ends can be easily friction welded to aluminum rods, but Luminium cannot be welded to mild steel.

Alternatively, only one plate can be bent and the top busbar plate of one array and the bottom of the next array can be bent. A bar that acts as a busbar plate, with the middle portion of the plate extending between the arrays. It can be made to have an effect that replaces (95). Furthermore, if one If an array can be used upside down relative to its neighbor, then A single busbar plate with a size of 100 mm can be used across the two arrays.

The current distribution in the bus plate (91) is similar to that of the edge plate (96) along one edge of the bus plate (91). ), the aluminum strip can be attached to the busbar as shown in Figure 9, for example. It can be improved by welding to the plate (91). Such edge plates include one or more tab portions<97)E to form and allow electrical connections to be made thereto; Good too.

If required, the cooling section (92) can be connected to the busbar plate (91) below one of the arrays. By doing so, it can be used as one terminal of a completed battery.

The battery shown in Figure 9 consists of only two battery arrays, but any desired number of battery arrays can be used. Connect the array in the same way and give one complete battery with the required parameters. It will be recognized that it is possible to

In use, the battery as described above must be maintained at the required temperature. Confined in a thermally insulating enclosure that helps. Such an enclosure has two intervals It is made up of open layers of steel, creating a vacuum in the space between the layers to provide good thermal insulation. It is possible to make it possible to One end of such an enclosure is the one where the battery is first inserted. for example, walls made of insulating material or the rest of the enclosure. A wall made similar to the section, but to ensure a secure connection to the battery terminals. by a wall having one or more portions formed of an electrically insulating material through which the electrical conductors pass. You can close it.

All such batteries can give a large electrical output and therefore , the conductors connected to them must have a fairly large diameter, e.g. Must be. Such conductors are connected to the terminals of the battery and are connected to an insulating wall or It can be pulled out of the enclosure through the final applied insulating material in the wall.

The problem with deploying such conductors is that they The size, or cross-sectional area, required to perform its function allows heat to escape from the battery. measures should also be taken to minimize heat loss through this process. This is the problem.

Therefore, it is placed in a thermally insulating enclosure and the battery terminals extend outside the enclosure. In such a battery assembly consisting of a battery connected to conductors that The length of each conductor within the walls of an enclosure is preferably greater than the thickness of that wall. .

Such a configuration minimizes heat loss from the battery along the conductors. However, conductors with sufficient power handling capacity can be used.

The longer the length of the conductor used, the greater the electrical resistance; therefore, the length used Therefore, care must be taken to avoid creating localized hot spots in the conductor. No.

As an example, a conductor diameter of 6xz is acceptable in an enclosure wall of 50zz thickness. The length of the conductor wire was found to be 120 mm.

The temperature through the enclosure walls of a battery assembly as discussed above changes gradually. , the conductor wires should therefore be progressively longer over the thickness of the wall. This is a wall Wind each section of conductor inside into a spiral path that gradually progresses through the thickness of the wall. This can be achieved by

Alternatively, the conductor can be placed along a zigzag path or any planar path of suitable length. can be done. The conductor size is determined to accommodate the required heat transfer at every point along the path. To impart conductivity to a conductor, it can be varied along its path.

In particular, the batteries mentioned above consist of sodium-sulfur batteries, but alternatively, It is recognized that such batteries may incorporate other types of batteries. There will be.

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Claims (33)

[Claims] 1. A series arrangement of multiple batteries or multiple rows of batteries arranged between a pair of conductive bus plates In batteries with batteries, each of said bus plates has batteries or series arrangement between them. Serving to interconnect corresponding terminals of the batteries, each terminal or each series arrangement of said batteries The terminals at the ends of the terminals are connected to the adjacent busbar plate by conductive metal strips welded to said terminals. are connected, and both ends of the metal strip pass through the holes in the bus board to the bus board. A battery that is welded to the side opposite to the terminal side. 2. Corresponding batteries in series are connected to a conductor placed between their cases. are interconnected by electrically conductive members, thereby allowing the batteries to Claim 1 comprising a series-arranged battery comprising a plurality of rows of ponds arranged in series. Battery listed. 3. Claim 1 or 2, wherein the busbar plates are fastened together by a plurality of connecting rods. battery. 4. Both ends of the connecting rods are placed in recesses formed in the busbar plate to ensure an equal height alignment. maintain and an insulating washer is provided on at least one end of each connecting rod, 4. The battery according to claim 3, wherein the battery is configured such that no short circuit occurs between the busbar plates. 5. Any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising an electrically insulating separator between adjacent batteries. or the battery described in paragraph 1. 6. 6. A bus according to claim 5, wherein the separator extends the entire distance between the busbar plates. Terry. 7. The batteries are arranged in series, and the separators are connected to each other in series between the bus plates. 6. The battery of claim 5, wherein the battery extends over a length. 8. Any of claims 5 to 7, wherein the busbar plates are held together by a plurality of connecting rods. or the battery described in paragraph 1. 9. Consisting of multiple rows of batteries arranged in series, but with adjacent batteries in each series arranged without intervening The terminals of one battery are separated from the terminals of an adjacent battery by a separate isolation member. to the terminals of the two batteries and extending through the holes in the isolation member. The battery according to any one of claims 1 to 8, which is connected by a conductive member. Lee. 10. A conductive member is welded to the center terminal disk of one battery and to the case of an adjacent battery. 10. A battery according to claim 9, wherein the batteries are connected together in series. Terry. 11. Any of claims 9 or 10, wherein the isolation member is made of ceramic or porcelain material. The battery described in item 1. 12. The separator is formed in situ by injecting material between the cells. The battery according to any one of claims 9 to 11. 13. Batteries with multiple parallel batteries or multiple series arrays of batteries arranged in parallel with an electrically insulating separator between adjacent cells or series arrangement; The battery separator is in the form of a metal sheet coated with an electrically insulating coating. Lee. 14. Claim that the separator is made from anodized aluminum sheet The battery according to item 13. 15. Separators are made from metal sheets coated with heat-resistant vitreous enamel 14. The battery according to claim 13, wherein: 16. Batteries with multiple parallel batteries or multiple series arrays of batteries arranged in parallel with an electrically insulating separator between adjacent cells or series arrangement, but each The separator has a concave surface that fits each battery or batteries in each series arrangement, and the concave surfaces are spaced apart around the circumference. A battery consisting of a long member formed around a wall. 17. Multiple batteries arranged between a pair of busbar plates or multiple rows of batteries arranged in series a battery having one or more arrays consisting of one or more busbars of each array; and a cooling section thermally connected to the cooling section and one or more of the busbar plates. A battery with an electrically insulating layer inserted between them. 18. The cooling part is made of aluminum and an insulating layer is provided on top of it with a suitable coating. 18. The battery of claim 17 in the form of . 19. The cooling section is formed from two layers of aluminum with an electric heating element sandwiched between them. The battery according to claim 17. 20. 18. The bag of claim 17, comprising a heating element disposed in a gap in the cooling section. Terry. 21. The cooling section is made from a relatively thin aluminum sheet with a foil of pyrolytic graphite. 18. The battery according to claim 17, wherein: 22. An aluminum sheet is formed with multiple bolts, and the bolts a sheet is placed in each hole in the foil, thereby causing heat transfer between the sheet and the foil. The battery according to claim 21. 23. The pyrolytic graphite foil is cut into strips, passing through the thickness of the cooling section and passing through one of the faces of the cooling section. It has been restructured to give a layer with high conductivity only in the direction of According to claim 21, the heat to be dissipated is conducted to only one end of the cooling section and is dissipated. battery included. 24. The cooling section is configured to allow passage of the heat transfer fluid therethrough. The battery according to any one of claims 17 to 23. 25. A claim in which the busbar plate below the array rests on a common aluminum cooling section. 1 to 11, comprising two arrays of batteries according to any one of claims 17 to 24. battery. 26. The busbar plate above one array of batteries connects to the busbar plate below another array of batteries. conductive rods, thereby connecting the two arrays in series. 26. The battery according to claim 25. 27. The busbar plate is made from stainless steel and the rod has stainless steel ends. 27. The battery of claim 26, wherein the battery is made from aluminum. 28. Serves as a busbar plate above one array and a busbar plate below an adjacent array. A single plate bent in an array with the middle section of the plate extending between the arrays. 26. The battery according to claim 25, comprising a raised plate. 29. Encased in a thermally insulated enclosure that helps maintain the battery at the required temperature A battery whose terminals are connected to conductors and whose terminals are connected to conductors. wires extend outside the enclosure, and the length of each conductor within the walls of the enclosure is the length of the enclosure. A battery larger than the thickness of the wall. 30. An enclosure is constructed from two spaced layers of metal, with a 30. A battery according to claim 29, wherein the space is evacuated to provide good thermal insulation. 31. Each conductor section within the wall is wound into a spiral path that gradually progresses through the thickness of the wall. 31. The battery according to claim 29 or 30. 32. The size of the conductor should be adjusted to give the conductor the necessary thermal conductivity at all locations along the path. 32. The bar according to any one of claims 29 to 31, wherein the pitch varies along its path. Terry. 33. 33. The battery according to any one of claims 1 to 32, wherein the battery is a sodium sulfur battery. battery.